Smashing!

Seems like burgers are rather hot lately. GOOD burgers though, not the crap they serve at McDonalds, Burger King and the like. Makes sense, with the economy the way its been the past year or so, people are cutting back on things such as dining out. With quality burger places like Smashburger, 5 Guys Burgers, and other places popping up, people can feel like they are eating out and getting a dining experience, but aren’t spending as much money and are getting more value for what they are spending. This isn’t fast food, It’s food done fast. And while it’s burgers and fries, it’s a world away from all the usual burger chains down the street. Nothing here is pre made. No heat lamps, no microwaves, no soggy old veggies. What a novel idea, don’t make something until someone orders it…seems pretty obvious to me. Brian and I went to Smashburger together, first time for the both os us. At first i was a bit overwhelmed by the menu as we walked in. Yeah it’s just burgers and fries, but with SO many choices and my indecisiveness, it becomes a task actually having to figure out what i want. You choose your meat, how much meat, toppings, sauces & dressings, cheese and what kind of bun you want it on. With toppings like applewood smoked bacon, fried eggs, guacamole, chili, haystack onions, garlic sauteed mushrooms and numerous fresh veggies i cannot even venture a guess as how to many different configurations there are. I opted for the All American Smashburger which is a burger with american cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles served on an egg bun. Of course i also added applewood smoked bacon to top it off. I’ve learned that not matter where or what i’m eating, if adding bacon is an option, go for it. And for some god-awful reason i decided the 1/3 pound burger just wasn’t enough, so i went with the 1/2 pounder. While i enjoyed the burger a lot, 1/2 pound of meat, plus bacon, plus fries just is not a good idea if you value your life at all. I really enjoyed my burger. Full of flavors, crisp bacon, fresh toppings, messy, juicy and good. The fries were golden, crispy and delicious as well. Nothing was overly greasy. The staff were friendly and helpful. The place itself was clean, streamlined and rather modern looking as far as burger joints go. These were fast burgers done right, at a reasonable price. It’s going to cost you more than McDonalds, less than Indulge, but i was happy to get out of there with a very good, and large, burger, fries and a drink for under $10. With so many options you can go back over and over again and try something different each time. Goodbye McDonalds. Goodbye Burger King. Goodbye Wendys. Goodbye Jack In The Box. Smashburger is where it’s at.

Would i go back? Oh yes. I certainly will probably very soon. Right now the only one around is just off the ASU campus, but with one opening soon on Camelback you can bet i’ll be making that trip more then a few times…

If only the logo was as good as the burgers

All American Smashburger with a side of fries